Legislative Action

HB 40 - State Abortion Insurance / Public Aid Act - ACTION ALERT Status: Passed the House and Senate, now goes to the Governor Sum...

November 10, 2015

Adoption: A loving, life-saving, realistic alternative to abortion

Infant adoption has become rarer since 1973. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Adoption USA Chartbook, prior to 1973, about 8.7% of never married women who gave birth made a plan for adoption. However that dramatically dropped to 1% in the 1990s.

While the HHS Chartbook mentions the role of reproductive technology such as in vitro fertilization giving childless couples the chance to conceive on their own, the abortion deaths of millions of babies who could have been available for adoption also surely played a role.

There is great openness to adoption in the American public. A 2002 survey of women aged 18-44 found 33.1% considering abortion with 23.2% of those actually taking steps to adopt a child. An adoption activist writing in 2008 said that there were more women seeking to adopt unrelated children than there were foster children awaiting adoption (Katz, Washington Post, 11/8/08).

Adoption affirms the unborn child’s right to life, allowing each baby to enter the world as a blessing for another family. Adopted children do well in school and show high levels of self-esteem, optimism, social competency, feelings of security. They are less likely to be depressed, use alcohol, and engage in vandalism, theft, group fighting, and use weapons.